Increase of Residential Electricity Consumption in Urban and Rural China by Province

We have developed a projection model to investigate the inter-regional and intra-regional urban-rural characteristics of the current residential electricity demand in China. We have specifically focused on residential electricity demand pertaining to three major appliances; refrigerator, color-TVs and air-conditioners for cooling. The model integrates factors such as population and income growth, and urban-rural disparity of individual factors are also reflected. The relationship between income growth and appliance penetration is investigated and future residential electricity demand is projected for urban and rural areas of individual province. We postulated three scenarios i.e. 1) Base Line scenario 2) Rural Growth Scenario 3) Energy EfficiencySc enario by 2020 and conducted scenario analysis. The Base Line case projected that the total urban REC will approximately triple and the total rural REC will almost five times by 2020. The expected population growth and falling household membership will increase urban REC, whereas the penetration increase is the main driving force for rural REC growth. The Rural Growth Scenario resulted in the largest total REC among all Scenarios, suggesting rural growth plays a key role in determining the future REC in China.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

A new era for functional labeling of neurons: activity-dependent promoters have come of age

Genetic labeling of neurons with a specific response feature is an emerging technology for precise dissection of brain circuits that are functionally heterogeneous at the single-cell level. While immediate early gene mapping has been widely used for decades to identify brain regions which are activated by external stimuli, recent characterization of the promoter and enhancer elements responsible for neuronal activity-dependent transcription have opened new avenues for live imaging of active neurons. Indeed, these advancements provided the basis for a growing repertoire of novel experiments to address the role of active neuronal networks in cognitive behaviors. In this review, we summarize the current literature on the usage and development of activity-dependent promoters and discuss the future directions of this expanding new field

Differences in Mechanisms of Orographic Rainfall over West Sumatra (Case Study: 10 April and 23 April 2004)

Two different mechanisms of orographic rainfall enhancement  in West Sumatra were investigated utilizing observed data during the Coupling Processes in the Equatorial Atmosphere (CPEA)-I campaign. The variation of the atmospheric conditions during the campaign was shown by rainfall, surface wind, humidity, and stability index. An X-band Doppler radar captured the atmospheric conditions related to the enhancement of orographic rainfall mechanisms. The dry and less stable atmospheric conditions resulted in the convective type of rainfall. In contrast, the humid and stable atmospheric conditions brought the large-scale rainfall in the mountainous region where the events took place coincided with the inactive and active MJO phases.